Blanket Poses Vs Wrapped: What Families Need to Know

As a newborn photographer myself and being heavily involved in the local and national newborn photography industry, I’ve noticed that we photographers often use terminology that is perhaps “foreign” to the families we serve. In this blog post, I’m hoping to better define two terms that I frequently use with my families: “blanket poses” and “wrapped/prop poses”. Because while my sessions include a diverse final gallery full of all of these options, my goal is to help you visualize the imagery behind the terminology and hopefully provide a bit of inspiration as you plan your upcoming session.

Blanket Poses:

Blanket poses (or beanbag poses, as they are also called), refer to the images where a baby is posed in a very particular and precise manner, often naked but sometimes clothed or partially clothed, on top of a posing apparatus (like a bean bag, small cot, or ottoman) with a blanket serving as a backdrop underneath the baby. These poses are extremely popular in newborn photography and are often done in the beginning of the session, when baby is most sleepy. Speaking of being sleepy, for these poses to be executed safely and correctly, babies must be both content and sleepy for this portion of the session. Oftentimes if a baby is unsettled in the beginning of our time together, I will move onto another portion of the session and revisit these poses when baby is more content. So while sometimes they can be trickier to achieve, blanket poses are a great way to capture the natural and fleeting details of your new baby (back rolls, little bellies, fuzzy shoulders) that otherwise may not be captured in photographs.

Wrapped Poses:

Wrapped poses live up to their name; they feature your baby wrapped or swaddled in a variety of different fashions. These poses can be achieved on a blanket or in props, and can offer a lot of diversity to your final gallery. Focusing on wrapped posing can be great for families who are in a time crunch for their session or who would like to incorporate sentimental items, and its an easy way to move through multiple “looks” without disturbing the baby’s sleep. These poses are also really great for babies who may be having a fussy day, as my wrapping techniques mimic the womb and help your baby to feel safe and secure.

Hopefully this guide helps to educate and better define the two terms that I use most frequently with my families and serves as a bit of inspiration as you go about planning your little one’s session!

All the best,

Emily Rau

Emily Rau Photography